US: Mirage in 10 Best Clean Cars / High-Mileage Offerings (Clean Fleet Report)

[MetroMPG]

Auto writer Michael Coates is a specialist in automotive issues and has been writing for over 30 years. He recently got behind the wheel of a Mirage SE CVT as part of reasearch for his "10 Best Clean Cars" list, and in this mini-review says it was "quite a surprise."

He criticizes the engine for being "buzzy", but the car earns points for around town comfort, equipment level, and of course its stellar mileage:

I have no doubt that it could deliver those fuel economy numbers

Full article: http://www.cleanfleetreport.com/top-...cars-monterey/

[grsupercity]

Nice find there!

[aydu]

I've always read car reviews with the recognition that what the reviewer is looking for may be (and usually is) much different than what I am looking for in a vehicle.

The reviews I have read on the current Mirage seem to give less weight to the MPGs the car gets than the fact that it won't take a hairpin turn at 90 miles per hour without some significant body role.

The comments on the Mirage are not too different than the reviews the Prius got when it first came out. Toyota has done fine with this model, despite the reviewers not finding it to have an engaging driving experience.

Anybody that thinks that the long term cost of gasoline is going to decline in the future needs their head examined. I think most of us will have a road car and a city car. The Mirage is that perfect city car concept - low cost, good mileage, good turning radius, etc.

Hybrids and electrics offer many of these benefits, but can't compete on price. Electric cars also have the distance limitation.

[MetroMPG]

Good points, especially on the Prius. It constantly gets panned by "enthusiast" (power & handling-obsessed) reviewers and commenters, yet still sells by the boatload.

Happily, Mitsu is selling lots more Mirages than it expected, too.

[Canoehead]

The Prius just makes sense, if one is driving enough. The fact is, auto reviewers may dislike a car, but just about every taxi in my city (I'd guess 90%, with the remainder being mostly vans and the very rare Camry hybrid), is a Prius or now a Prius V. These folks have done the math, and the Prius makes sense.

For me, since I don't drive nearly as much, the Mirage makes sense. I suppose if I valued rapid acceleration and crisp cornering more than nice restaurants, travel, early retirement, charitable donations, fun toys, and the relaxation of being debt free then I would prefer a high-dollar sports car. For me, though, it just isn't worth the trade.

Point being - it is easy to say a much more expensive car is "better", but is it "better value", and that decision can only be made by the individual consumer based on his/her needs/wants/income.

[Ares]

Point being - it is easy to say a much more expensive car is "better", but is it "better value", and that decision can only be made by the individual consumer based on his/her needs/wants/income.

****ing word. My first ever car was a 1988 corolla FX, SOHC+carb'd+4spd auto. It was the slowest of the slow. However, buying it in 2007 with only 20k miles on the odo, it was practical, reliable, and in budget having to pay gramps only 3500$. After 60k miles of driving it, and abusing it because of my driving style, the tranny gave in. I was stupid enough to let a filipino guy fix it, and for 600$ he didn't quite do a good job. I should have spent 1k or more to get a refurb'd tranny instead.

When I got fed up hearing the tranny grind, carmax bought it for 1500 and I bought a 2009 kia rio - no a/c or p/s. The corolla didnt have a/c for the longest so I thought I didnt need a/c. Also, the plan was for me to strip the car and use it as a weekend warrior on the racetrack. Not having a/c and p/s would give me a slight advantage.

Then my brother played bumper cars with the rio. Buying the mirage, for 15k, with all the bells and whistles was a great idea. Sure, I could have gotten a more luxurious vehicle for the same price, but reliability would have been an issue. ALSO, banks usually charge more interest rate for used cars.

Plus, 5yrs 60k miles bumper to bumper means I'll have a car for at least that long.

[chris2004]

Agree with Aydu. The road testers in the UK take the cars round a test track at top speed and criticise them if they don't perform like a Porsche. Sorry but i never use my Attrage round a test track, it performs fine on a normal road.